Handwriting Policy

All children must have the opportunity and the encouragement to reach their full potential regardless of race, creed or sex. Children with Special Educational needs, where necessary, will be provided with specialist equipment such as pencil grips or wider ruled lined paper. Children will also have the opportunity to use iPads to rehearse specific skills on a more regular basis. Intervention is available for children who experience significant difficulties to practice pre writing skills and fine motor coordination

OBJECTIVES

To have a consistent cursive approach across the whole school to ensure high levels of presentation.

To adopt a common approach towards handwriting by all adults when writing in children’s books, on the whiteboard or on displays / resources.

Children to achieve a neat, legible style with correctly formed letters in cursive handwriting.

Children to develop fluency and speed whilst writing, so that eventually the children are able to write the letters with confidence and correct orientation.

To use a wide range of fonts and writing styles on displays and within the classrooms so that children are familiar with a wide range of print.

KEY STRATEGIES

As recommended by the British Dyslexia Association, we adopt a continuous cursive style of writing.

All staff model the agreed cursive style when modelling writing both in class, on displays and in feedback in books.

Children to be introduced to pre-cursive and cursive script at the earliest stages of writing.

Children in the Foundation Stage should be writing in the pre-cursive script to enable an easier transition in Year 1 into the cursive script, depending on their ability. However, the expectation is that by the end of Reception pupils will start to transfer towards a cursive script depending on their skill and ability.

Children are given a handwriting book from Year 1 which continues throughout the school.

Children in the EYFS are assessed on an ongoing basis through observation, handwriting informs part of this. Within Key Stage One and Key Stage Two, handwriting is assessed as part of children’s writing assessments on a six weekly basis.

< >The development of speaking and listening reading and writing will be the top priority for our children. Teaching handwriting will be the central strategy in developing children’s fluency in writing. They will develop all the key elements of letter formation and develop a fluent and legible style of writing. In this school children will be confident writers.